I sometimes find it hard to believe that American women earned the right to vote less than 100 years ago with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. It may seem as if we have come such a very long way in those ensuing 94 years - there is no denying that women have had some remarkable accomplishments since the suffragette movement started right here in New York State. However, as another National Women's History month comes to a close, I think it's critical that we not lose sight as to how much work remains to be done to truly bring gender equity to our nation, state, and county.

As a social justice organization committed to eliminating racism and empowering women, YWCA Orange County recently completed a report which took a long, hard look at the reality of the economic factors that have a real, and frequently debilitating, impact on the women who live and work in our community. Nearly 20% of single mothers in Orange County struggle to provide for their families with household incomes at or below the federal poverty line, and female-headed households are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than other families. Annual income for a family of three, the average size of an Orange County family, living at the poverty level is only $19,536 or $1,627.50 per month. With the rent for a two bedroom apartment averaging $1,200/month in Orange County that leaves slightly more than $400 per month remaining for that family of three to spend on the basic necessities of life - food, clothing, medical, insurance, utilities, and other expenses, both planned and unplanned.

The average income for a female wage earner in Orange County is $44,717 while her male counterpart makes $57,622 per year. Earning only 77.6% of the man's salary leaves a single working mother at a $12,905 per year disadvantage, $1,000 less per month, to support her family than her male co-worker.

YWCA Orange County, along with numerous organizations throughout New York State, worked hard last year to pass the Women's Equality Agenda (WEA), which included proposals to address many of the core reasons for this wage disparity and other discrimination against women, so that they may raise themselves and their families out of poverty. Unfortunately, WEA was not passed, leaving much work still to be done as we strive toward making gender equity a reality.

YWCA Orange County believes that women and their families deserve the opportunity to be economically secure. The path to equity is two-pronged - first - systemic inequality must change. Discrimination, double-standards, legislation, and outdated workplace policies must undergo vital updates. Secondly - women must equip themselves with the necessary tools and techniques to combat the inequalities head on and find economic success despite the odds. Today, women workers comprise half the workforce in Orange County, more and more families are headed by women, and women make the majority of all purchasing decisions - yet they remain at an economic disadvantage.

YWCA Orange County is committed to bringing balance to that inequity. We work with businesses, legislators, community agencies, and individual women to help our community, and the women who live here move toward equality, economic stability, and independence. The Women’s Equality Agenda would help raise hardworking women out of poverty by creating fair laws. Our elected officials need to know that it’s time to upgrade NYS laws and make New York a national leader for gender equality once again.

Statistically, households headed by single mothers are often the poorest. This unfortunate statistic is the result of many factors, with a major one being that access to jobs is often based on gender. For many women who choose not to attend college or who cannot afford higher education, the traditional job route takes them to women-occupied jobs (e.g. childcare, home health care aid) paying minimum wage. Men who do not attend college, however, most often opt for traditionally male-dominated skilled labor jobs with starting pay as high as $25-$35 an hour. This is why YWCA Orange County purchased a window cleaning franchise: to help women in the area increase their income in the next decade and beyond. FISH Window Cleaning at YWCA not only gives women employment opportunities, but also provides them with the training and experience to advance into higher paying jobs. The program aims to increase the number of local women working non-traditional jobs by providing them opportunities to work in the window cleaning business, an industry to which they may not otherwise have access. Making resources, information, and access to non-traditional fields as available to women as they are to men is a key part of reducing the gender wage gap. Additionally, the FISH Window Cleaning program at YWCA Orange County is designed with a long-term vision. Short-term education without case management or follow-up has been proven to be unsuccessful, so support and resources for workers need to be accessible throughout the work development experience. To assist in these efforts, Middletown Honda partnered with John Luedke of the WEL Foundation to help YWCA Orange County secure a great deal on a new car that will be used to help sell the window cleaning services. Use of this vehicle by the FISH team will directly benefit women seeking to become more financially independent, as well as their families. Along with educating women about potential career choices, YWCA workforce programs are designed to help women navigate through complex administrative, legal, and financial systems. These programs are committed to advocating for equality in the workplace, from the hiring process to compensation. Visit or contact YWCA Orange County for additional information on economic empowerment programs for women. For more information about FISH Window Cleaning or to request an estimate call 245-4240.